President's Letter

As a Chicago native, it gives me great pleasure to see that the Cubs won the World Series! As a career-long advocate for medical and health research, it will give me more pleasure to see two additional things happen this month: (1) election of candidates who are committed to driving medical progress by assuring the resources and policies that will advance both discovery and innovation; and (2) passage of 21st Century Cures legislation by both houses of Congress. We’re working hard to assure these ‘wins’ for patients and families and for our nation; we invite you to join us. Check out our website for ways to get involved.

Also this month, we will be calling attention to the heroes of public health, who work so hard and so effectively to make our world a healthier place. Public Health Thank You Day is celebrated on the Monday before Thanksgiving, November 21. It’s easy to participate: find more details in this newsletter and on our website. If enough of us take a minute to engage, we can increase awareness and ultimately support for public health in all its many forms: prevention, protection, mental health and health equity, increased attention to the social determinants of health. (If you’re not familiar with that term, it’s worthy of your attention – the so-called ‘upstream’ way to intervene for better health by improving conditions in places where people live, work and play – conditions such as unstable housing, low income, substandard education and other factors that affect our nation’s health and well-being.)